To define malware, it is malicious software coded with the intent of causing harm to a user, system, or a network. Although malware is nothing new, the rate at which it continues to evolve into new invisible forms of threats should raise the alarm for many businesses. It's important that your organization's staff understands the threat that malware poses and the difference between each form of malware.

Before looking at each of the different types, let's first define the four main categories of malware attacks;

0-Day - a zero-day vulnerability is an undisclosed flaw that hackers can exploit. It's called 0-day because it is not publicly reported or announced before becoming active.

Exploit - a threat made real via a successful attack on an existing vulnerability. Also refers to software that is developed to target the loopholes on a particular device.

Privilege Escalation - a situation where the attacker gets escalated access to restricted data that is on a higher level of security.

Evasion - The techniques malware makers design to avoid detection and analysis of the malware by security systems and software.

Blended Threat - A malware package that combines the characteristics of multiple types of malware like Trojans, worms or viruses, seeking to exploit more than one system vulnerability.

Now that we've established the different kinds of attacks that are associated with malware, it's time that we take a closer look at each type of malware and define them.

1. VIRUSES

Probably the most well-known form of malware is a virus. The primary characteristic of a piece of software that has an urge to reproduce. This means that malware viruses distribute copies of itself using whatever means necessary. The secondary characteristic of this form of malware is that viruses are covert, making them hard to detect without dedicated security programs.

2. WORMS

Worms are standalone software that replicates without targeting and infecting specific files present on a computer. Worms are basically small programs that replicate themselves in a computer and destroy the files and data on it. Once on a file, they work until the drive they are in becomes empty.

3. TROJAN HORSES

A trojan is a malicious program that misrepresents itself to appear useful. Computers get infected with trojans when a victim installs them on their PC. Trojans are usually disguised as routine software. Many trojans come in the form of a backdoor that allows attackers unauthorized access to the affected computer and are considered to be the most dangerous of all malware.

4. ROOTKITS

Rootkits are a collection of software that are designed to permit malware to gather information. Rootkits work in the background, making them hard to notice. Rootkits are like a backdoor that allow malware to enter a computer and wreak havoc.'

5. RANSOMWARE

Although Trojan Horses are the most dangerous, ransomware is the most devastating. Ransomware blocks access to the data of a victim, threating to either publish or delete it until a ransom is paid. There is also no guarantee that paying the ransom will return access to the data. Ransomware infects the system from the inside, locking the computer and rendering it useless.

6. KEYLOGGERS

Keyloggers are software that records all of the information that is typed using a keyboard. Keyloggers generally affect physical keyboards and store the gathered information to send it to the attacker. From there, the attacker can extract sensitive information sure and usernames passwords.

7. GRAYWARE

Grayware is more of a nuisance that is not technically classified as malware but can worsen the performance of computers and lead to security risks. Almost all commercially availible antivirus software can detect these unwanted programs and separate modules to detect, quarantine, and remove malware that displays advertisements.

Malware has been around practically since computers were originally created. It's important that your organization's staff takes steps towards understanding exactly what the different types of malware are and how to avoid becoming infected.

Each vendor has their own unique record within K2 Compliance. These vendor records contain detailed information such as address, website, industry, specific persons of contact, and other demographics. The versatility of the application allows these data points to vary based on client preference

K2 Compliance is an innovative medium that has redefined the management of the risk assessment process. The application acts as a central hub to store, collect and analyze data relative to an organization’s security risks. Let’s take a quick look at the an asset-based risk assessment process managed through K2 Compliance starting with an organization’s hardware.

We continue part 2 of our interview series with Intravires Health Compliance Consultants. During this part of the interview, we shifted gears towards the policy review process, continuous improvement, and Bill Belichick.

Introducing our newest series of educational video content, Webinar Tidbits. Instead of having to sit through and watch hundreds of hours of our past webinars, we will do the hard work for you and release these short videos that summarize the highlights of each of our past webinar.

If you've ever dealt within the policy management space, you quickly learn how complex it can become. There are many factors to evaluate including; establishing a guiding policy, appointing the proper policy team and coordinator, adopting a charter, and setting expectations and achievable goals.

We sat down with the legal professionals from IntraVires Healthcare Compliance Consultants to help give organization's a better idea on how to get their policy management process off the ground and keep it running as steadily as possible.

Why complicate a process more than it already is? Why not keep in simple?

For instance, take controlling the risk management cycle for your organization. First you have risks to your organization and its assets, so you implement security controls to then mitigate those risks. But you also need to assess and monitor both those risks, and the current implemented security controls.

All organizations need well-managed policies and procedures. Your policies and procedures are the first line of defense against risk, and they help your organization run smoothly. Is your policy management process effective? Is it up-to-date? Now is a good time to review your policy management process. We've created a three-part webinar series to help you.

According to an InformationWeek survey, 62 percent of providers who already have or are planning to implement electronic health or medical records will spend more than 20 percent of their yearly IT budget spending on HIPAA Security Rule-related projects (including MIPS and Meaningful Use) this year. The majority of that 20% will be spent on conducting an annual Security Risk Analysis, forcing healthcare organizations to spend a lot of time and money. The cost of a Security Risk Analysis may seem unavoidable since the annual obligations for the HIPAA Security Rule are required. However, your organization can save money if the right steps are taken.